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Description
"You said you were going to wait."

An impatient voice broke through the empty silence.
Soft paws padded up to where a hulking figure was lurking. A tail flicked back and forth.

"I thought we had this all planned out," the feminine voice said. "You weren't supposed to make any moves for at least another few days."

The hunched figure turned around slowly, revealing two hollow, bone-white eyes. It shuffled its dusky feathers and clicked a talon on the floor.

"I just decided it was a good time." said the beast, voice rumbling deeply.

"Good time? What do you mean good time? You said that I would have a few more days with her! You can't break a promise like that!" The female growled, voice growing higher in pitch.

"Why do you talk of promises, Echo? You know I don't make promises."

The black and blue canine shrank away from the advancing figure. Her raised paw shook slightly.

"I am the leader here Echo. I'm the one calling the shots. I control everything. We had this all worked out from the beginning. You knew that she was going to die from the start." The bird extended one of its wings and began cleaning some of its feathers.

"And yet you never bothered to tell her."
"You're wrong!" shouted Echo furiously. "I couldn't tell her!"
"And why is that?"
"Because then you'd just do it faster." said Echo, more quietly now. Her heart hurt, a stabbing pain came with every beat.

The beast chuckled and sighed.

"Then what about Jeth?"

Echo froze. Her eyes boiled with hatred.

"What about him? You've been toying with him. It's not fair. It's not fair what you did to him. You should have seen his smile…I don't think I'd ever seen him smile that genuinely before. Even after all these years." Echo shook violently.
"Echo darling, it's all part of the game." The feathered beast brushed a talon across Echo's mask, flipped it off, and watched it clatter to the ground. Harboring vicious restraint, the bird's talon scraped lightly over Echo's muzzle.

"This is not a game," she growled, hitting the offending talon away. "These are real people, you can't just go off killing anyone you like!"

Emitting a long sigh, the bird turned away and swaggered over to a large white oval through which dim moonlight was filtering through. It watched as the hands of the clock moved lazily, and ever so slowly, towards their endless destinations.

"Was she the one who kept this clock tower in running order?" the bird asked. It chuckled. "How worthless."

Echo kept her head bowed towards the ground and didn't say a word. She had been defeated. She didn't have the energy to say anything more.

"Two days." said the monster thoughtfully, after a while.
"What?"
"I said two days. You have two days with her."
"You mean you'll end it?" Echo's heart rose.
"Yes, it's gotten old already. It doesn't even affect Jeth anyways. The disease will be gone by tomorrow morning."

Echo felt a spark of hope rise in her chest. She grabbed her mask tightly in her jaws.

"Remember Echo," the beast murmured dangerously as Echo neared the doorway. "Two days. I'll be watching you."

With that, the beast vanished into a burst of dark haze.

"Whatever you say, Regenzit."

Echo set off hurriedly down the stairs of the old clock tower. If she was going to do something, she was going to have to act now. She had to talk to Jeth.

Description
"You said you were going to wait."

An impatient voice broke through the empty silence.
Soft paws padded up to where a hulking figure was lurking. A tail flicked back and forth.

"I thought we had this all planned out," the feminine voice said. "You weren't supposed to make any moves for at least another few days."

The hunched figure turned around slowly, revealing two hollow, bone-white eyes. It shuffled its dusky feathers and clicked a talon on the floor.

"I just decided it was a good time." said the beast, voice rumbling deeply.

"Good time? What do you mean good time? You said that I would have a few more days with her! You can't break a promise like that!" The female growled, voice growing higher in pitch.

"Why do you talk of promises, Echo? You know I don't make promises."

The black and blue canine shrank away from the advancing figure. Her raised paw shook slightly.

"I am the leader here Echo. I'm the one calling the shots. I control everything. We had this all worked out from the beginning. You knew that she was going to die from the start." The bird extended one of its wings and began cleaning some of its feathers.

"And yet you never bothered to tell her."
"You're wrong!" shouted Echo furiously. "I couldn't tell her!"
"And why is that?"
"Because then you'd just do it faster." said Echo, more quietly now. Her heart hurt, a stabbing pain came with every beat.

The beast chuckled and sighed.

"Then what about Jeth?"

Echo froze. Her eyes boiled with hatred.

"What about him? You've been toying with him. It's not fair. It's not fair what you did to him. You should have seen his smile…I don't think I'd ever seen him smile that genuinely before. Even after all these years." Echo shook violently.
"Echo darling, it's all part of the game." The feathered beast brushed a talon across Echo's mask, flipped it off, and watched it clatter to the ground. Harboring vicious restraint, the bird's talon scraped lightly over Echo's muzzle.

"This is not a game," she growled, hitting the offending talon away. "These are real people, you can't just go off killing anyone you like!"

Emitting a long sigh, the bird turned away and swaggered over to a large white oval through which dim moonlight was filtering through. It watched as the hands of the clock moved lazily, and ever so slowly, towards their endless destinations.

"Was she the one who kept this clock tower in running order?" the bird asked. It chuckled. "How worthless."

Echo kept her head bowed towards the ground and didn't say a word. She had been defeated. She didn't have the energy to say anything more.

"Two days." said the monster thoughtfully, after a while.
"What?"
"I said two days. You have two days with her."
"You mean you'll end it?" Echo's heart rose.
"Yes, it's gotten old already. It doesn't even affect Jeth anyways. The disease will be gone by tomorrow morning."

Echo felt a spark of hope rise in her chest. She grabbed her mask tightly in her jaws.

"Remember Echo," the beast murmured dangerously as Echo neared the doorway. "Two days. I'll be watching you."

With that, the beast vanished into a burst of dark haze.

"Whatever you say, Regenzit."

Echo set off hurriedly down the stairs of the old clock tower. If she was going to do something, she was going to have to act now. She had to talk to Jeth.